Trade The Truth in For A Lie
by gooniegrl
Summary: Troy Bolton and Cameron Bale:two completely different people, right? Wrong! When Sharpay runs away to California the Wildcats follow. Troy confronts his past. A past he never mentioned to the Wildcats. Not a Troypay. Characters from Summerland.
1. Chapter 1

This is a new story I've honestly been thinking about for a really long time. I am not a fan of High School Musical. I am a fan of the concept and some of the characters. I love Sharpay for some odd reason and I love the idea of Sharpay and Troy together but after reading a story by Jaydat with the idea of Troy being Cameron from Summerland I became absolutely obsessed with the idea of the two of them and a crossover fic. I never meant to make Sharpay and Nikki friends but for some reason whenever I started writing they ended up becoming kindred spirits. Then I decided that Johnny would be Sharpay and Ryan's uncle. Its not at all canon but I liked it.

The way Sharpay and Nikki behave is completely inappropriate at times. I will freely admit to that but part of the reason that I wrote this was because I actually did have the first boy I cared for disappear. He moved away and we talked for a while but I did something that really hurt him (along the lines of Nikki) because I was scared and he never spoke to me again. I needed to write this story to get rid of some of my feelings. Yes, Nikki and Sharpay are both acting a little bratty but it happens. They will mature. I hope.

Please give it a try and then review! I just needed an outlet for my feelings and this is it. I'm sorry if anyone is insulted.


	2. Kerosene

"It's the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. who matter." Marlene Dietrich

"I'm sorry 'Cole. I feel absolutely awful for making you meet me here. I just…" Sharpay Evans trailed off softly.

Nikki Westerly smiled at her and wrapped the taller, blond girl into a big hug. "Hey. It isn't everyday a girl gets a call at three in the morning from her best friend begging to be picked up in Los Angles. It'd be different if Ava and Johnny had been home but they weren't, and um…Shay…it's just I was up really early to drive here and I'm really tired and I know you're tired too and it is LA and Bradin's dorm is like ten minutes away tops…it'd be a lot more convenient."

Sharpay stiffened but knew she had absolutely no right to be angry with Nikki. The girl had woken up at three a.m. to pick her crazy friend up at the airport. "I'll be fine," she answered with an almost convincing smile. Nikki knew she was lying, but would rather deal with the after effects of throwing Sharpay and Bradin into a room together for a few hours than fall asleep behind the wheel.

Nikki ran from the car as soon as she parked, partially wanting to warn her brother and partially wanting to make sure he was alone. She banged hard on the door, kicking it harshly when he did not answer. The door swung open, revealing her older brother with a head of extremely messy hair and an obvious hang over.

"What the hell are you doing here? Does Ava know?" he asked as he immediately jumped to attention.

Nikki rolled her eyes and looked past him, searching to see if he had a bed mate. "I'm alone." Bradin said irritably.

His sister grinned happily at him and pushed her way into the room, turning with a smile. "Just to warn you Bray…" Nikki trailed off as the source of her statement pushed through the door, looking grumpy.

"So you totally ditched me down there but I did manage to score us an invite to a frat party tonight."

Bradin stiffened noticeably as he heard her voice but attempted to cover it. "What are you doing here?" he asked not bothering to look at the girl.

Sharpay rolled her eyes and set her bag down. "I needed to see Nikki." Bradin irritably asked her why, throwing in the reminder that she had sworn never to set foot in California again.

The blonde sneered at him, reminding him that she had been fifteen when those words had been screamed and that no one should be remembered for something they said or did at fourteen. "I was young, stupid, and naïve," she remarked bitterly, sending him a significant glare.

Nikki winced and stepped away from the bickering ex-couple. Bradin glared at her, arms cross over his chest, ready for a fight. "Oh, and thats changed how?" he asked sarcastically.

Sharpay looked away from him. "Look. I didn't come here to fight with you, or to see you at all, actually. I came here because I needed my best friend. I also happened to be invited to a party which I plan to attend. I feel like making out with a random stranger. I've gotten good at that." Her words hit home, causing Bradin to turn away from her.

Nikki sent Sharpay a look that clearly asked her to back off and Sharpay obliged with a blush. "I'm just tired and crabby. Can I have a blanket or something? I want to take a nap." Nikki quickly threw in the fact that she was not sleeping in her brother's bed and climbed into the empty bunk he kept for company leaving Sharpay to sleep in the bed Bradin usually occupied.

"I've got homework to do, call me when you wake up." Bradin said stiffly to his sister before quickly exiting the room. The two girls were silent for a few minutes before Nikki said, "Shay, when he broke your heart, Bradin broke his own in the process. Please remember that."

Sharpay did not answer, she was afraid if she spoke the tears she had been fighting to hold back would finally fall.

* * *

When Ryan stopped Troy the next day to ask him if he had seen the boy's missing sister Ryan was surprised to hear Troy admit that he had. "Yeah, it was kind of strange. She told me she was sorry. She seemed pretty upset," he shrugged and continued his work. Ryan sighed loudly and rubbed his hands over his face in a tired motion.

"Did she say anything? When was this?"

Both boys chose to ignore the fact that her brother had betrayed her not two days ago and although she had pretended to forgive him that was clearly not the case.

"I saw her yesterday. I was running and she was pulling out of your drive way. She told me she was going to see a friend."

Ryan swore under his breath and explained reluctantly when his new friends asked why he was upset. "Visiting a friend means Sharpay went to see 'Cole. Damn." Ryan made a phone call and after assuring his parents he would bring his sister back home kicking in screaming if he had to, he got their permission to use the family jet.

"Anyone up for a paid vacation?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

* * *

"Get up. I want to get home and get rid of you as soon as possible." Bradin said loudly, opening his blinds and purposefully making a lot of noise.

While the two girls had napped for a few hours the day before they had been up late partying and therefore were still extremely tired. From the looks on their faces it was quite clear they were both still drunk. Sharpay grumbled at him, insisting he stay in Los Angles, but he ignored her.

"Considering that the two of you are both still drunk, I have to drive you back."

Nikki laughed loudly and crawled out of bed, giving her brother an affectionate hug. "It's so sweet of you to worry about us!"

Bradin glared at her. "Don't think sucking up to me is going to make me forgive you Nik. I saw you kissing that damn frat boy!"

Nikki had the good grace to look embarrassed. "It's Cole, remember?" she muttered quietly. Bradin snorted.

"I've been calling you Nikki for eighteen years and as I've been telling you for the past four I'm not about to stop because some stupid asshole—"Bradin, shut the hell up!" Sharpay barked out.

Nikki was staring at the floor attempting to ignore the dull pain in her chest. Bradin frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" he trailed off and Nikki grinned at him, pretending the conversation had never happened.

"Alright! Let's get going before we sober up and the hang over sets in!" Bradin rolled his eyes at the girls but said nothing. "By the way--I talked to Ava _and _Jay today and you are in an extreme amount of trouble. Ava told me to tell you that although it was very wonderful of you to pick up Sharpay, you're grounded when they get home. Jay also wanted me to tell you to turn your damn phone on and that he wants you to call him when you get home. He stopped in to check on you and you weren't there. He was about two seconds away from calling the police."

Nikki made a face that clearly said, 'oops!' but said nothing. Bradin then turned to Sharpay.

"Johnny is working on a lecture for you and your parents are pissed. Oh and Ryan called. He's coming to get you **and** he's bringing a bunch of people whose names I can't remember. Sharpay gasped in shocked outrage. "I came to get away from him!" she cried angrily. Bradin grinned at her and left the room.

* * *

"I'm lying down in back." Sharpay asserted once they had gotten Nikki's yellow Xterra all packed up. Nikki shrugged and Bradin ignored her. He usually found that if he pretended she wasn't there the chest crushing guilt he tended to feel when she was around tended to go away.

"How's Cappie doing?" Nikki asked her brother twenty minutes into their drive.

Cappie was Bradin's best friend from California. The two of them had instantly hit it off when the Westerly's moved in with their aunt and had been best friends ever since. The boy had had his heart broken during his freshman year of college and he had never quite bounced back.

Bradin shrugged. "He's Cappie. He acts like everything is completely fine. He's kind of turned into a whore actually. I'm a little proud of him."

Sharpay snorted. "Hey! He must have gotten that from you!" she cried out sarcastically.

Bradin sneered at her and opened his mouth in an attempt to yell at her but Sharpay cut him off. "The girl ditched him for his roommate and he's still in love with her? Are you fucking kidding?"

Nikki piped up and reminded her friend how hard it is to get over one's first love.

Sharpay scoffed. "Whatever. I got my heart smashed by my first love and I'm perfectly fine." Bradin made a coughing/choking noise and quickly pulled into an exit lane. "Is there a problem?" Sharpay asked icily.

He swallowed nervously. "I'm hungry. I need caffeine. I'm just going to uh…yeah. I'll be back." He pulled into the nearest gas station and bolted from the truck.

Nikki smirked and turned around to look at Sharpay, her eyebrow arched in question. "You're not fine," she pointed out.

Sharpay glared. "Yes. I. Am."

The tiny brunette laughed loudly. "Yeah, just like I'm fine?" she asked.

Sharpay made a face and stuck her tongue out at Nikki. "Face it. We drink too much, party too hard, and between us have had more guys in the past three years than most people have in a lifetime. You aren't kidding anyone with this successfully moved on crap. I know it, you know it, and eventually he's going to wake up and see it."

Sharpay leaned towards her friend angrily, her eyes flashing and icily replied that her 'bff' needed to get her eyes checked because she had moved on quite nicely a very long time ago. Nikki arched her eyebrow and said mockingly, "Gosh you must be right! That explains the tension, and the complete bitchiness."

Sharpay turned away from her friend and stared out the window. "Shay I didn't mean…" Nikki trailed off apologetically.

"He broke my heart Nik. I was _fifteen_ and I—I did something that I wasn't ready for because I _thought _he cared about me!"

Nikki couldn't help the glare she sent at the blonde. "Our parents had just died Shay! Bradin was having a _really_ hard time. He handled it badly, he knows that! It was a mistake."

What lay silent between the two girls was the fact that Nikki had also given up something she hadn't been ready to when she was younger than Sharpay and unlike Sharpay, Nikki hadn't stopped there. The blonde wiped away her tears and attempted to talk over the lump in her throat.

"I have to be able to make my heart stop alternately breaking and pounding when I look at him before I can even think of forgiving him," she admitted quietly.

Nikki reached out and took her friend's hand, squeezing it in reassurance. "I can't even imagine how hard it would be to see him again after what he did to you, but honestly Shay, he was going through such a hard time. I don't even think he realized how badly what he did would hurt you because I know he cared about you. I can't say for sure what he was thinking when he did what he did but at least talk to him. Be civil. Let it go and be friends again. Please? Just…just think about it okay? Can you do that for me? Because, honestly; once upon a time, I would have given anything for another chance."

It is now Sharpay's turn to return the favor with a squeeze of support to Nikki's hand. She knew her friend had long ago convinced herself her love for Cameron had turned to hate, but Sharpay also knew that Nikki still had love for Cameron hidden deep in her heart, which made sense. Nikki had stopped trusting her heart a long time ago. Sharpay sometimes wondered how she did it, went through life on autopilot, never allowing herself to feel. She supposed if she had lost as much as Nikki she would be the same, in fact sometimes she was, but for the most part she enjoyed her emotions too much. For Sharpay a kiss was exhilarating, and she searched for the kiss that would make her forget her first love for good; while for Nikki a kiss was simply a kiss. She became bored with kissing easily, and had admitted to her friend that she was often talking to herself in her head when boys kissed her. Sharpay was pretty sure that was what got her in so much trouble with boys.

Some people would call Nikki a slut, and maybe if she didn't know her better Sharpay would think she was too. Except Nikki almost never touched boys, letting them touch her, and that usually happened when she was too drunk to make a graceful exit. She had been with four boys in her entire life and one of those boys had been at fourteen, with someone she had honestly believed to be 'the one', which she always said sounded totally lame but it was what it was.

Second of the four was the firsts' best friend. Nikki would freely admit she had been with him out of anger and spite and the boy would easily say the same. They hated Cameron for leaving them behind and even if he never knew about it, they would know. Their 'relationship' had gone on for six months before they decided they were better off as friends, although Sharpay knew, they still hooked up from time to time.

The third boy had been her boyfriend for almost a year. Riley Johnson was two years older than her and the quintessential badass. At first he had been fun and exciting. After a while the thrill she got from dating the bad boy turned to complete terror. Sometimes Sharpay thought the country song, "Gunpowder and Lead" had been written for Nikki. Nikki sat back and took Riley's abuse for six months before he hit her younger brother when the boy had tried to defend her. Riley was arrested and put on a restraining order. The police wouldn't listen when Nikki told them he wouldn't stop attacking her, she told them flat out that if he came near her or her family again she would kill him. The last time he hit her; he broke her nose and gave her a black eye before she took a baseball bat to his face, shattering his nose and cheek bone. She had walked away from that relationship with the black eye, broken nose, and a dislocated shoulder. He was locked up for assault while her attack on him was labeled self-defense.

The fourth boy was none other than Sharpay's twin brother, Ryan. The two of them had hooked up during a party at Lava Springs the summer after their sophomore year; the summer after Riley. "Did you do anything more than kiss the guy last night?" Sharpay asked, changing the subject.

Nikki grinned. "Shay, my brother was right there and no. I was sober enough to think straight!" she finished with a wink. Sharpay laughed and gave her friend a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek.

"You have way too much fun, Crazy Girl."

Nikki made a face. "Yeah, fun got me a broken nose."

Sharpay inhaled harshly, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you…if I had known…" Sharpay trailed off with a choked sound.

Nikki smiled. "If you had known, he'd be dead." Sharpay smirked and nodded her agreement.

"I don't know. Maybe being with him was my own little self-mutilation? You think?"

The blonde quickly changed the subject. "So do you think Bradin knows about me and Tuck?" she asked.

Nikki laughed. "I doubt it. Tuck's alive and still one of Bradin's best friend's right?" Sharpay nodded with a grin. "And you pick on me for my tactics! Fooling around with your ex boyfriend's childhood best friend is just as bad!"

The drama queen giggled and shook her head. "No way! You screwed his best friend since diapers a month after he left, and then dated him, while giving it to him anywhere, anytime, any _way_, he wanted. How is drunkenly fooling around a few times as bad as that?"

Nikki shrugged, knowing full well the fact that Sharpay had done more than kiss the guy was what made it as bad. Sharpay never let anyone do more than kiss her, it was her unstated rule. Tuck got her out of her sparkly little skirt simply because he was Bradin's friend and she was using him to pay the surfer back, whether he knew about it or not.

The two girls were laughing over their mistakes when Bradin finally climbed back into the truck. "What's so damn funny?" he asked grumpily as he handed them each a bottle of water.

"Nothing!" the girls sang before bursting back into laughter.

* * *

"You guys are going to love it. My uncle lives right on the beach in this gorgeous house. Although, it's usually pretty full, if we stay a while we'll probably have to rent a hotel room." Ryan informed his friends with a careless shrug.

Gabriella and Taylor giggled. "Tell us where we're going already!" Gabriella cried anxiously, squeezing Troy's hand tightly in excitement.

Troy smiled at her childishness and kissed her on the cheek. "It doesn't matter as long as your there," he said cheerily, mentally rolling his eyes at himself.

The two plus years he had remained single before Gabriella had really turned him into a dork. Sometimes he hated the nervous, always happy, Golden Boy persona he had decided to depict. Not that he didn't like who he wasmost of the time but he could never really be the real him. He could never yell and scream the way he had been able to before. Sometimes he felt like he was constantly playing a part, a part he wasn't sure he liked.

As expected Gabriella swooned a little, making one of those 'oh isn't he just the greatest' faces at Taylor and Kelsi, while the guys teased him, but he knew they were secretly thinking how cool he was. He was Troy Bolton after all, the playmaker, in Albuquerque he was the definition of cool. Sometimes he wondered what _**she**_ would think of Troy Bolton. He used to think about it a lot, before he met Gabriella, he would sit around and basically think of nothing else. Would she like Troy better, the way most people did? Or would she want him back just the way he had left? Would she want him back at all?

"Troy, are you okay? You kind of spaced out there for a minute." Kelsi asked, concerned. "I'm fine. Let's play truth or dare!" he yelled, knowing how much the girls loved the game. The boys pretended to hate it, but with the exception of himself and Ryan, he knew they liked it too.

Kelsi immediately turned her attention on Zeke and asked him if he still liked Sharpay. The answer was a definite yes; he knew she was nicer than she pretended to be. Chad and Taylor both snorted their disbelief.

"Seriously you guys, I swear. She's hiding something."

Zeke then turned to Ryan and when Ryan picked truth, asked him to dish on his sister and whether he was right. Ryan glared at his new friend. "It's not worth it, man. Sharpay has been in love with the same guy since she was seven. He broke her heart three years ago and she hasn't stopped running since. Sharpay is a nice girl but none of you are going to see it. She won't let you."

"I thought Sharpay liked Troy?" Gabriella asked, confused.

"He was a distraction and he reminded her of her ex. Taylor. truth or dare?" Ryan asked after answering her question. Taylor picked dare and had to lick Gabriella on the cheek. As the game went on Troy zoned out again, until Chad's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Are you a virgin?" Chad asked with a grin, it was an easy question, they all knew he was but Chad liked to piss his friend off because for some reason the play maker became really agitated whenever the subject of sex was broached.

"Chad! You pervert! We know the answer!" Gabriella shrieked indignantly, motioning for Taylor to hit her boyfriend.

Chad laughed and tried to move out of the way of her hand.

"Can we not talk about sex? Jeez." Troy replied irritably, turning to stare out the window as the plane descended. The scenery around him was becoming much too familiar for his taste.

"Troy, it isn't a big deal, answer the question." Gabriella said with a smile. She got purity rings for her and Troy for their newest montheversary last week and although he wore his ring he had reacted strangely when she explained the rings to him. "What's wrong?"

Troy quickly glanced back at her. "Oh. What? Nothing is wrong. Of course Troy Bolton's a virgin Chad. You're such a douche."

Chad laughed loudly and smacked Troy in the chest.

"Why are you talking in the third person?" Taylor asked teasingly.

Troy tried to smile but as he took in the scenery again, found he could not. "Where are we, Ryan?" he asked apprehensively.

As the plane landed Ryan broke into a huge grin. "I spent my summers here when I was little. It's so great you guys are going to love it!" Ryan cried excitedly.

The girls broke into excited chatter as they took in the environment outside their windows. Troy felt his world closing in on him as the revelation of their location became clear. Please, please, tell me we're in Mexico. He prayed silently. "Ryan I'm serious man! Where are we?" Troy cried, anxiously, startling his friends.

Ryan looked at him in surprise but quickly recovered, and grinned happily. "Welcome to Playa Linda, California!"

The girls screamed at the thought of California and Chad, Zeke, and Jason gave each other claps on the back and high fives, everyone thanked Ryan excessively.

Troy Bolton, on the other hand, stayed firmly planted in his seat because his hands and legs were shaking so badly he was unsure whether or not he would be able to walk. He hadn't been here in three years. The possibility of running into someone from his past was likely. Troy sighed unhappily as his friends ran from the plane, resigning himself to the drama that was sure to come.

Poor boy had no idea what he was up against.

* * *


	3. Cause Love's Given up on Me

"She'll be right down. She felt the need to 'freshen up'," Nikki told Ryan with a laugh as he, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Zeke, Kelsi, and Jason stood in the living room waiting for Sharpay.

"Um…you guys can stay if you'd like? Derrick is at camp, and the adults are all M.I.A. They left me alone. Not the best idea on a normal day, but perfect for those days your crazy best friend calls you at three in the morning, needing to be picked up in LA." She finishes her sentence with a happy smile that has the girls in front of her in awe.

Gabriella couldn't help but think that the girl in front of her was a natural beauty. She had no makeup on and her hair was flowing around her shoulders in soft, natural waves. There was something about her eyes that did not fit with the rest of her but Gabriella ignored it and smiled back the girl.

Taylor was jealous of the vibrant, little girl in front of her. Her height made it hard to believe she was eighteen, but she could tell by the way Chad kept eying her body, that the boys definitely got it.

Kelsi was just happy to find someone shorter than her for once, and wonderd why the girl's eyes were so dull. She's laughing, that means she's happy, right?

"Where is Troy?" Gabriella asked suddenly.

Everyone shrugged. "He's acting weird. When we pulled up to the house he started muttering about his bad day getting worse, and then refused to get out of the car," Chad said.

Nikki laughed. "Ah. We don't bite. I'll head out and get him, just make your selves at home."

Nikki turned and walked out the front door, almost as soon as everyone was situated, Sharpay let out a yell. "Bradin—who is the guy standing next to Derrick in this picture? Kind of off to the side of Nikki and hidden a bit by the tiki pole?"

Bradin gave her a strange look but glanced at the picture anyway.

It was a candid shot of the Westerly siblings, a boy Sharpay was all too familiar with, and Ava's ex-fiancé.

She had walked by the same picture a million times and never noticed the boy hidden slightly by the pole. "That's Cameron. The only reason Nikki lets us keep it up is because you can barely see him." Bradin replied, with an eye roll.

"That's Troy Bolton. He moved to Albuquerque the summer after eighth grade. Ryan and I were here that summer and Nikki had already torn up all of his pictures. I never knew what Cameron looked like." Sharpay whispered to Bradin through clenched teeth.

"Where's Nikki?" Bradin asked Ryan suddenly, apprehensively.

"Outside getting Troy." Ryan said calmly; confused.

"Ryan, why don't you take _your_ guests out back? Let them walk around the beach."

With that she turned and ran outside with her brother and the Wildcats looking on in utter confusion.

When Sharpay and Bradin reached her Nikki stood frozen on the sidewalk, staring at the boy in front of her.

Cameron Bale [Troy Bolton] was staring back at her, opening and closing his mouth, apparently unable to find the words.

"I…" Troy trailed off as he saw a very angry Bradin Westerly staring at him. Neither Bradin nor Troy said a word; they simply stared at each other. Nikki suddenly seemed to pull herself together.

"Troy Bolton I'm assuming?" she asked sarcastically. Her arms crossed protectively over her chest and Sharpay got the distinct impression that she was trying to hold herself up. "Nikki if you would just let me explain—"

"I don't want or need an explanation," the girl said harshly.

Troy grimaced. "Look I understand that you're angry but if you would just let me explain—once again Nikki cut him off.

"No. You misunderstood. I don't need an explanation because I don't know you."

Sharpay smirked and wrapped her arm around her best friend's waist. Nikki surreptitiously leaned against Sharpay for the support her shaking knees were no longer giving her. "Nikki, please don't do this, don't act like I'm not here." Troy pleaded.

Bradin suddenly spoke up. "What'd you expect? You skipped town and broke her heart!" The oldest Westerly cried incredulously.

Troy shrugged. "I think I'm in shock," he offered with a small half smile.

Nikki suddenly seemed to pull herself together because she blinked and then offered him a big, fake smile. "I'm 'Cole Westerly, and you must be Troy. It's so nice to meet you!" she said chirpily.

Troy's mouth fell open in shock. Sharpay choked back laughter, and Bradin remained stoic.

"Um…Nikki…" Troy trailed off.

"Yes? Is there a problem? Your friends are waiting for you in there. You wouldn't want to just disappear on them." T

roy winced at her thinly veiled attack, while Sharpay and Bradin smirked triumphantly.

"Can we just talk? Please?" Troy asked his voice thick with emotion.

Nikki stared at him coolly, her eyes showing no emotion. "Haven't you heard? You're not supposed to talk to strangers."

Without another word, Nikki turned and walked away from him, never turning back.

"Fuck." Troy muttered angrily.

"I think she handled that quite wonderfully." Sharpay said with a giggle.

"Sharpay, fuck off." Troy snarled before turning and chasing after his way ward ex.

"You can't ignore me forever!" Troy half whispered, half yelled. He had been standing outside Nikki's bedroom door for the past ten minutes; he can just hear the interrogation he's going to get from Gabriella when she finds him. Silently, he thanked Ryan for unknowingly holding his friends off. Tired of begging, Troy opened the door and walks into the room.

"What the fuck!" Nikki yelled angrily, spinning around to face him in a black, lime green, and teal striped bikini top. "I could have been naked, you creeper."

Troy rolled his eyes and shut the door behind him.

Trying a different tactic, Nikki smirked at him seductively. "Or maybe that's what you were hoping?" she taunted, untying her bikini top. Troy began to stutter, she couls make out girlfriend, and that he thought she was degrading herself, and can't help but laugh. If he thinks taking off her top in front of her ex-boyfriend is bad, he should see her on a good night.

"It's not like you've never seen it before," she mocks, securing the top and then pulling a low cut, tight black tank top out of her closet.

"Nikki. I'm not here to reminisce with you. I just came to say that I'm sorry for just showing up like this, I honestly had no idea we were coming here, and I guess to apologize. I know I should have told you I was leaving, where I was going but," he is cut off before he can finish his explanation.

"Save it. It doesn't matter. Sure it sucked for about month. I cried. Felt sorry for myself, but then I grew up. I got over it."

Although he isn't ready to admit it, hearing Nikki say she got over him that quickly hurts. He nursed a broken heart for over two years before he met Gabi, and much to his chagrin, her being over him really makes him feel stupid for the way his heart has been pounding since he first laid eyes on her in the drive way.

"Nik, I—

"No one calls me that anymore. Only my family and I don't know who the fuck you are, so if you would please excuse me, I need to finish getting ready."

The fact that she interrupted him once again annoyed him immensely, but it was the collage of pictures hanging from the left wall that really caught his attention. The pictures were beautifully done, each picture focusing on Nikki with important people.

There was one of her and Sharpay taken at a bon fire the summer they turned fifteen. Troy is shocked to realize the background of the photograph is Albuquerque. Another is of Nikki and her brothers, each of their arms wrapped protectively around her. He finds another of Nikki and Sharpay, this one in black and white, and he assumes they are thirteen or fourteen, staring into each other's eyes sullenly. It's as though they are searching for each other's souls. Still another of the two girls shows them to be much younger, three maybe, they are holding onto each other tightly, and Troy can't help but marvel the strength of their friendship.

A few pictures show Nikki with Amber and various friends of theirs, in some of them she looks like his Nikki, but in most of them she has stick straight hair, too much eyeliner, and a black hoodie or t-shirt on.

There are a few with her and guys he does not know.

She is fifteen and on the back of the boy he remembers as being Bradin's best friend, and another of the two of them shows her at seventeen. He recognizes the look in her eyes, and her face, and her hair, and her lips and he wonders if Bradin knows his best friend has had sex with his little sister. He tries not to let it hurt but it does, so he quickly moves on to the next photograph. She's with random guys in some of them, kissing their cheek, riding on their backs, dancing, and he can't help but feel jealous of each and every one of them. He wonders what that says about his relationship with Gabriella. He finally reaches a picture of someone he really recognizes.

"Your aunt must not come up here much, huh?" he asks, his voice shaking a little.

"What?" Nikki asks harshly. She was so busy watching him look at her life that she forgot to be angry.

"You took this after sex," he points out quietly, pointing to the picture in question. "That one too."

Nikki watches, reminding herself she owes him nothing, and forces the steely glint back into her eyes. "Your right she doesn't come up here. So what."

Troy finally turns to look at her, his face the picture of disbelief. "Aaron was my best friend Nikki! And at least one of those pictures was the taken the same fucking summer I moved. How could you do something like that?" he asked.

Nikki stared him straight on and shrugged, refusing to be ashamed, refusing to look away. "I guess I just needed someone to comfort me," she responded coldly. "He did a pretty nice job."

Troy flinched and shook his head. He waited two years, he had barely kissed another girl in three years and she was shamelessly admitting to having sex with the boy that had been his best friend the same summer he left her.

"So how many have there been?" he heard himself ask. Nikki shrugged and reminded him it's no longer his business. "Humor me," he said harshly.

She told him five, including him, and then about the other boys, the ones that barely matter.

His chest tightened and he was vaguely aware that he can't breathe. The thought of so many people touching her made him sick and he couldn't understand why. He thought she was out of his system.

One last picture caught his eye and he moved closer to see it correctly. "What happened?" he asked, tracing the bandages on her face. The picture shows a sixteen year old Nikki with a broken nose, a split lip, he thinks a black eye but isn't sure, and a sling on her shoulder, holding her arm in place.

Sharpay, Ryan, Bradin, Derrick, Ava, Jay, Susanne and Johnny are all crowded around her. It occured to him that the girl in the picture should look broken but she looked stronger, more defiant than he had ever seen her. Nikki stares at the photo for a second, her hand traveling up to touch her nose subconsciously. "My face got into the way of my ex's fists," she quips. Troy exhales sharply, as if someone kicked him in the chest.

"You think that's bad? You should see him. I took a baseball bat to his face. I shattered his nose, and one of his cheekbones. Also broke his ribs but that damage isn't as lasting." Troy turned to stare at her, wondering who she has become.

He fell in love with a sweet, innocent, slightly naïve, heartbroken girl five years ago.

The girl standing before him isn't just heartbroken, she's shattered. The girl he knew had crashed and burned and an entirely different person had pulled herself from the wreckage.

She stared back at him defiantly, daring him to judge her.

"He was my best friend." Troy said again.

She nodded, and turned away. She wanted to tell him that the first time she was with Aaron she cried. She felt so disgusting, so awful that she didn't know what to do. She wanted to tell him that the alcohol helped with that and that for a while, when she was drunk she could pretend it was him. She wanted to tell him that sometimes after Riley would hit her, she would cry for Cameron and for her parents; begging him to come back and save her, begging them to take her away with them. She was afraid if she tried to tell him, she would break down when she reminds him that he never came, so she stayed quiet.

"Some people believe there is one person for everyone," she said as he prepared to leave the room. He stopped and listened. "That you meet that person and they are just _it_ and no matter how hard we try we just can't forget them."

Her eyes were trained on a picture he hadn't noticed, one of Nikki and Cameron that someone had taken when they weren't looking.

"When I was thirteen, I met a boy. Somehow, by fourteen I fell completely in love with him. I thought he was my soul mate."

There are tears in his eyes and he knows if anyone sees them they will not only judge him unfairly, but they will question him. He can't have that.

"I was wrong and I no longer believe in that crap." Nikki finished bitterly. "Besides, you always did have one foot out the door ready to run away from me. I was just too stupid to not consider the fact that it would happen again. I did what I had to do to move on. You don't get to judge me. You don't even fucking know me."

Before Troy can say anything, she pushed past him and into the bathroom, slamming the door closed behind her.

Finally posting a little more to this story! Thanks to the people that reviewed :) Not sure if anyone will read it but since I spent time writing it I might as well post it. I will definitely be attempting to clean up the language and content a bit-the girls really are not as sleazy as I am currently writing them, I will also be working on fixing that.

Please review if you read this, it will give me incentive to continue!

I recognize I switch back and forth between the past and present a lot, it is something I am trying to stop. Please ignore it. Thanks!


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